WHAT WAS THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA? WHY IS THIS EVENT SIGNIFICANT?
Answer prepared by: Luisa P.
"In the summer of 1588 the Invincible Armada set sail". ~Daily Life in Elizabethan England by Jeffrey L. Singman
Problems with Spain soon arose. The Spanish wanted to take out Queen Elizabeth off her throne because of religious differences, marriage (King Philip of Spain married Elizabeth's sister Mary Tudor, and in 1559 he offered to marry Elizabeth but she rejected the offered and remained single), a civil war in France, the Dutch revolt in which the Dutch wanted to be freed from Spanish rule and England helped them. Also, Spain did not allow foreign traders to trade with their colonies in the New World, the English attacked the Spanish and took some of their treasures. These were some of the problems that triggered the Spanish attempt to invade England. Also, Queen Elizabeth had some problems at home. Mary Stuart Queen of Scotland and France, was suspected of trying to overthrow Queen Elizabeth, so Elizabeth decided to imprison her for nineteen years. Then, her officials found evidence of several Catholic plots that attempted to make Mary queen of England. She was executed on 1587.
So the Spanish Armada set sail. It started to go up to England, but the English were also ready. They had smaller, faster, better crewed, and more agile ships. The English followed the Spanish up the English Channel and they started to fight. The Spanish lost a lot of men because of the fight, but also because of the lack of food and all the diseases. About half the original fleet made it back.
Even though they had lost the battle, the Spanish made more attempts to invade. All of the attempts weren't successful. They weren't as big of a threat now, and Elizabeth had some serious problems with Ireland. But after two years the Queen died at age 70, possibly of blood poisoning that was caused by the makeup she put on called ceruse- a mixture of white lead and vinegar. The people were in disbelief. Elizabeth left no heirs since she never married, so the throne was given to James VI of Scotland, who came as king of England as James I of England. If the Spanish hadn't been defeated, several things could've happened: England would have been certainly invaded, meaning that Queen Elizabeth would've been overthrown; the Roman Catholic religion would have been restored and the Protestants would have been punished, and finally, England would've most likely become a part of the Spanish Empire, which would change a lot of what we have learned about England after the Elizabethan period. Also, the Dutch rebels finally won independence from Spain with the help of Elizabeth I, arguably, the greatest monarch to have ever ruled England.
Harmsworth, Andy. Elizabethan England, a study in depth. London, England: John Murray (Publishers) Ltd, 1999. pp. 130, 131, 133, 136-138, 143. Print.
Hinds, Kathryn. Life in Elizabethan England, Elizabeth and Her Court. Tarrytown, New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2008. pp. 67-68. Print.
Marrin, Albert. The Sea King, Sir Francis Drake and His Times. 1st ed. New York, New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers Simon & Schuster, 1995. 128-132. Print.
Answer prepared by: Luisa P.
"In the summer of 1588 the Invincible Armada set sail". ~Daily Life in Elizabethan England by Jeffrey L. Singman
Problems with Spain soon arose. The Spanish wanted to take out Queen Elizabeth off her throne because of religious differences, marriage (King Philip of Spain married Elizabeth's sister Mary Tudor, and in 1559 he offered to marry Elizabeth but she rejected the offered and remained single), a civil war in France, the Dutch revolt in which the Dutch wanted to be freed from Spanish rule and England helped them. Also, Spain did not allow foreign traders to trade with their colonies in the New World, the English attacked the Spanish and took some of their treasures. These were some of the problems that triggered the Spanish attempt to invade England. Also, Queen Elizabeth had some problems at home. Mary Stuart Queen of Scotland and France, was suspected of trying to overthrow Queen Elizabeth, so Elizabeth decided to imprison her for nineteen years. Then, her officials found evidence of several Catholic plots that attempted to make Mary queen of England. She was executed on 1587.
So the Spanish Armada set sail. It started to go up to England, but the English were also ready. They had smaller, faster, better crewed, and more agile ships. The English followed the Spanish up the English Channel and they started to fight. The Spanish lost a lot of men because of the fight, but also because of the lack of food and all the diseases. About half the original fleet made it back.
Even though they had lost the battle, the Spanish made more attempts to invade. All of the attempts weren't successful. They weren't as big of a threat now, and Elizabeth had some serious problems with Ireland. But after two years the Queen died at age 70, possibly of blood poisoning that was caused by the makeup she put on called ceruse- a mixture of white lead and vinegar. The people were in disbelief. Elizabeth left no heirs since she never married, so the throne was given to James VI of Scotland, who came as king of England as James I of England. If the Spanish hadn't been defeated, several things could've happened: England would have been certainly invaded, meaning that Queen Elizabeth would've been overthrown; the Roman Catholic religion would have been restored and the Protestants would have been punished, and finally, England would've most likely become a part of the Spanish Empire, which would change a lot of what we have learned about England after the Elizabethan period. Also, the Dutch rebels finally won independence from Spain with the help of Elizabeth I, arguably, the greatest monarch to have ever ruled England.
Works Cited
"Death of Queen Elizabeth I." Elizabethan Era. N.p., ND. Web. 7 Apr 2010. <http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/death-of-queen-elizabeth-i.htm>.
Harmsworth, Andy. Elizabethan England, a study in depth. London, England: John Murray (Publishers) Ltd, 1999. pp. 130, 131, 133, 136-138, 143. Print.
Hinds, Kathryn. Life in Elizabethan England, Elizabeth and Her Court. Tarrytown, New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2008. pp. 67-68. Print.
Marrin, Albert. The Sea King, Sir Francis Drake and His Times. 1st ed. New York, New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers Simon & Schuster, 1995. 128-132. Print.
Simkin, John. "Mary, Queen of Scots: Biography." Spartacus Educational. John Simkin, ND. Web. 7 Apr 2010. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUDmaryscots.htm>.
Thomas, Heather. Elizabeth. Heather Thomas, 30 Jan 2010. Web. 31 Mar 2010. <http://www.elizabethi.org/uk/armada/>.